Theo Walcott tells Arsenal: I want trophies, not money

Theo Walcott has warned Arsenal it will be the size of the club’s ambition, not his pay packet, that decides whether he will renew his contract this season.

Ambitious: Arsenal striker Theo Walcott (Picture: AFP/Getty)

England international Walcott has just 12 months left to run on his current deal, and while Arsenal are yet to begin formal negotiations over an extension, manager Arsene Wenger is seeking assurances over his future.

Walcott, a £12 million signing from Southampton in 2006, is currently with the Arsenal squad on their pre-season tour of Asia, where all the talk has been of absent skipper Robin van Persie, who is on the verge of quitting the club, after questioning whether the Gunners are still a competitive force.

Now it appears that Walcott will now have to ask the question over whether Arsenal are ambitious, after telling journalists this week his main focus is trophies, not money.

‘The money in football is good but that is not why I turned professional, explained Walcott.

‘As a player, you want to win titles, which Arsenal have not been doing, but I believe we will do so soon. It is more important than anything else in football,’ he said.

‘I hope to win many titles as I want to be remembered after retirement. I want to show my children and grandchildren what a good player I was.’

Walcott is still widely expected to sign a new deal in the next few months, but he is due to ask serious questions over the future of Arsenal at a meeting with manager Arsene Wenger before the start of the season.

The 23-year-old, a boyhood Liverpool fan, is a target for the Reds, along with Arsenal’s London rivals, Chelsea.

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